The American diet is unquestionably low
in Omega 3 fat. Omega 3 fats are healthy fats that reduce
inflammation, inhibit cancer development and protect our blood
vessels. The basic building block of omega-3 fat is alpha-linolenic
acid (ALA) and flaxseeds are the food with the highest concentration
of this much-needed fat. Besides omega 3 fats, flaxseeds also contain
very high levels of photochemicals unique to flax that powerfully
inhibit prostate, breast and colon cancer. However, these protective
nutrients and lignans are not present in significant quantity in the
oil, only in the whole seed. The whole seeds are tiny and difficult to
chew, they typically pass through the body undigested, causing their
beneficial nutrients to be lost. Therefore, it is best to buy ground
flax seeds or grind the whole seeds before eating. Ground flax seeds
are also susceptible to rancidity. In my house, we grind a pound at a
time using our VitaMix and then store the ground seeds in the freezer
to maintain stability of the fats before using. Every morning we just
scoop what we need out of the container and put the rest back into the
freezer. If you are buying ground seeds, once you open the vacuum
sealed package, store it in the freezer.

DHA From Fish and Fish Oils

Proponents of fish have long touted the benefits of
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docoshexanoic acid (DHA), two omega-3
fatty acids shown to exert health benefits. Fish is the source of
these important fats that most people are aware of. The amount of EPA
and DHA can vary significantly in various fish. Some salmon has very
little DHA, for example. More importantly, several studies have
indicated that fish oil supplements are prone to toxic materials. For
example certain fish oils have been shown to contain large
concentrations of dioxins and PCBs because the dumping of toxic waste
and raw sewage into our oceans has taken a toll. Lipid peroxide
contamination occurring with aging of the oil further complicates the
supposed health benefits of fish oil consumption. Fish and fish oils
also contains mercury. Data from the Center for Disease Control
indicates that one in 12 women of childbearing age in the United
States has unsafe mercury levels, and their threshold for safety is
high. The major contributor to body mercury load is fish and fish
oils, not dental fillings. Multiple studies have illustrated most of
the body’s mercury load is from the consumption of fish.

Mercury levels have been linked with infertility,
neurologic and mental disorders, high blood pressure, and endocrine
disorders. Mercury levels are directly linked to the risk of heart
attack. In an international case controlled study, mercury levels were
assessed in 684 European men within 24 hours of a first myocardial
infarction and in 724 control subjects without a heart attack. A
strong dose response pattern was observed with a more than doubling of
the risk for heart attack patients in the highest fifth of mercury
levels compared to the lowest. Fish and fish oil is obviously not the
ideal way to decrease ones risk of heart attack. Epidemiologic data on
fish intake and fish-oil consumption is contradictory and
inconsistent; some studies show a worsening of cardiac events that
increases as fish consumption increases. Given the contamination
issues with both fish and fish oils, the rancidity of fish oil and
documented immune system suppression from fish oil, we cannot consider
fish or fish oils, health food.

DHA is a beneficial fat, but we have to reconsider
the source of how we find it. Fish are relatively toxic, compared to
other foods. We have to seriously take a closer look at the typical
recommendations of health authorities to consume more fish. After many
years of reviewing the evidence and recording mercury levels in
patients that invariably correlate well with their fish consumption, I
recommend consuming little or no fish and avoiding those species of
fish notoriously high in mercury such as shark, swordfish, mackerel,
pike and bluefish.

Most of the publicity about the beneficial effects
of essential fats has focused on fish oils, which are rich in EPA and
DHA. One problem with fish oils is that much of the fat has already
turned rancid. If you have ever cut open a capsule and tasted it, you
will find it tastes like gasoline. Many people complain of burping,
indigestion and of fish breath. I have also observed that rancidity of
this fish fat places a stress on the liver. Patients of mine with
abnormal liver function noted on their blood tests when consuming fish
oil have had these tests return to normal when the fish oils were
stopped.

Healthful Alternatives

A common mistake most people make when learning
about the benefits of omega-3 fats is to start taking lots of fish
oils. Please note that these beneficial fats are not only made in
fish, we humans manufacture them as well. From the ALA found in flax
and walnuts, our bodies can manufacture the long-chain omega-3 fats;
EPA and DHA. The question that remains is can we make sufficient or
ideal levels of these long chain fats without consuming fish and fish
oils?

Our bodies can produce some EPA and DHA from the N-3
fat in flax seeds, leafy greens and walnuts, and for some people
(especially those whose diet is superior) this production is
sufficient. However, when I draw blood tests for fatty acid analysis
on many of my patients, I find that a large percentage of individuals
who do not eat fish regularly do not have optimal levels of DHA. How
can we assure optimal production of DHA fat for all, if we are
hesitant about recommending and consuming fish? The answer is to take
a vegetable derived DHA capsule., Laboratory cultivated DHA is made
from micro-algae and is a pure form of DHA without rancidity. It is
grown in the laboratory, not collected in the wild. It has no mercury
or other toxins. It is well tolerated and is not rancid. Omega Zen-3
contains 300 mg of pure DHA and it is the only vegetable derived DHA
in a veggie capsule made in this country that I am aware of.

Most of the anti-cancer benefits of the N-3 oils are
accounted for by the DHA component, not the EPA component. Plus the
body can retrograde manufacture EPA from DHA, when DHA is
supplemented. I advise most of my patients to take one of these clean
DHA supplements once every other day.

Low DHA levels are
associated with:

Heart Disease Depression

Cancer Anxiety/Panic

Alzheimer’s disease Hyperactivity

Attention Deficit Disorder Dyslexia

Allergies Autoimmune Illnesses

Dermatologic Disorders Inflammatory Bowel
Disease

Your
comments are welcome

The Meat Free Zone (MFZ) campaign is intended to make the MeatFreeZone logo as
recognizable a symbol as the "Smoke Free Zone". The idea was originally
conceived when The WARM Store in Woodstock, NY, was in operation throughout the
'90's (Woodstock Animal Rights Movement). The store was truly a meat free zone
as it was the first cruelty-free, Vegan, socially conscious animal rights store
in the United States. Now that the Vegan and Vegetarian movements have been
growing so rapidly, more and more people are showing concern about the food in
their diet and their overall health and nutrition. Many people are giving up
eating fish, chicken, beef, pork (pigs ), dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt,
ice cream) and eggs. Headlines of Mad Cow disease, E-coli
and salmonella are in the news with greater frequency. Vegan and vegetarian
recipe cookbooks are standard now in all bookstores and many restaurants have
added Vegan and Vegetarian options to their menus. We hope you will help us with
the Meat Free Zone campaign by putting the signs up in your homes and workplaces
and by spreading them to all the vegetarian and vegan restaurants that you know
and frequent. And someday we will have true "meat free zones" in establishments
that serve meat.
(d-2)